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Worldview Extra: News from Elsewhere

Emergency in Niger

This regular Observer Worldview series looks at the news in countries which rarely figure in the international media. This week, the world's second poorest nation was struggling to suppress a military uprising in the south, and the national taboo on talking about Aids was broken

A state of emergency was declared in the landlocked African nation Niger on Wednesday after soldiers mutinied in the south-east of the country. The mutineers seized the airport and a radio station in the Diffa region, and took members of the local administration hostage. The radio station was used to broadcast a series of demands, which included the dismissal of the army chief of staff, improved living conditions and the reimbursable of five months back pay. More than 500 troops loyal to the government were sent to the area by the defence minister, Sabiou Dady Gaoh, to put down the rebellion.

Niger, the world's second poorest nation, has seen two military coups in the past decade. Since gaining independence from France in 1960 the non-payment of government and military salaries has regularly led to strikes by civil servants and mutinies by soldiers. However since President Tandja Mamadou was democratically elected two years ago there has been a period of relative calm.

In the capital, Niamey, an emergency cabinet meeting was called and a government spokesperson called the soldiers' actions a rebellion against the state, claiming that the mutineers were looting and had imposed a curfew in the Diffa region.

News reports quoted the mutineers as claiming to have the support of other military garrisons in the east of the country.

Adding to the feeling of unrest, the past few weeks have seen a number of attacks on the military and police in the north of the country around Agadez. This is the home of the nomadic Tuareg people, who fought a five-year civil war with the Nigerien government from 1990 to 1995. Late last month unidentified gunmen attacked security forces in the region who were on their way to investigate a traffic accident, leaving two dead and three missing, possibly kidnapped. They also stole a police vehicle. This was followed by a mortar attack last Monday evening that narrowly missed the main fuel store in Agadez. It was unclear whether the attacks were politically motivated or acts of banditry, but many Nigeriens feared a resurgence of major unrest. The defence minister denied that the military has sent troop reinforcements into the region, and claimed that the attacks had been carried out by a group of 'hardened criminals'.

Local commentators stopped short of linking the mutiny to the attacks in the north, but the government was clearly eager to suppress any signs of dissent in the ranks of its military at such a tense time.

A positive declaration

One of Niger's major taboos was broken last Sunday after a sociologist appeared on state television and announced that he was HIV positive. Salifou Ibrahim told viewers that he had made the announcement in an attempt to break down the 'wall of silence' that surrounds Aids and HIV in Niger. The declaration prompted one of the country's first televised broadcasts about the disease. The government admits that around 65,000 of Niger's population of 10 million are HIV positive or have contracted full-blown Aids, but this is considered to be an a conservative estimate.

'I am a sociologist and I am seropositive,' Mr Ibrahim told shocked television viewers, adding that 'the media and the hospitals are not well informed' about the disease. He said that many of his relatives did not know that he had been infected but admitted that he wasn't surprised he had the disease, because he had not been 'sexually responsible'. He called for other Nigeriens who have contracted the disease to come forward and work with him to educate the population on the dangers of the pandemic.

Around 90% of the country is Muslim and sex is considered a subject too taboo for public discussion. In addition, many still believe that Aids and HIV are a form of divine punishment for adultery or other sins. Superstitions of this kind still abound in Niger. Last month, authorities in Niamey rounded up scores of prostitutes because the country's religious leaders blamed the drought in western Africa on their sins.

Will the tourist trail go cold?

Meanwhile, men of the nomadic Wodaabi tribe are preparing for next month's traditional gerewol festivities. At the annual event, held to celebrate the coming of the rains, Wodaabi men don make-up and jewellery, and compete in a beauty contest before an audience of women, who then decide on who they would most like to marry.

However, there is concern that this year's celebrations will be flooded with tourists, as companies from Italy, France and the UK advertise tours to see the ancient custom.

Niger currently attracts fewer than 4,000 tourists a year. But after the long conflicts of the 1990s, the government is attempting to boost the industry. In an interview earlier this year, Niger's minister of tourism, Rhissa ag Boula, said he was committed to ensuring that even if tourism grew, it would not threaten the environment and local cultures. But the pull of the country's nomadic tribes may be too great to prevent a rush of foreign visitors.

However, finding the Wodaabi ceremony will be no easy matter. The nomadic tribe are virtually uncontactable and rarely remain in the same place for any sustained period. So while the tribe's traditional customs remain a great attraction for tourists, they may also make it impossible for westerners to track them down.

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